Nothing legal has to happen today.

If someone close to you has died, look after the people around you first. When you are ready, this is the order things go in.

This is a step-by-step checklist of what to do after someone dies. It is the same plan we give every executor, the person who handles things, with the court process explained. Read it as often as you need.

The first 72 hours, only these

Days 0 to 3

  • Have the death formally recordedA doctor, hospice nurse, or medical examiner records it. The funeral home needs it to proceed.
  • Tell the people who need to know firstClose family and friends, and anyone who looked after them. One call each is enough for now.
  • Secure the home, pets, vehicles, and mailLock up, arrange pet care, and forward mail so bills and notices reach you.
  • Read the funeral and final wishesWhat they wanted, what is prepaid, and who to involve.
  • Locate the original signed willThe court needs the original, not a copy. Look through their papers and any safe, or ask their lawyer.
  • Do not pay bills or give anything away yetPaying or giving things away before the court says so can leave you personally owing it. Note what arrives and act later.

The first two weeks

Days 3 to 14

Paperwork begins. Order more death certificates than you think you need.

  • Order 10 to 15 certified death certificatesBanks, insurers, and agencies each keep one. The funeral home can order them.
  • Confirm Social Security was notifiedFuneral homes usually do this. Any benefit paid after death must be returned.
  • Notify the employer and any pension planFinal pay, life insurance, and benefits often run through work.
  • Take the original will to the courtMost states ask for it within a few weeks of the death. The court clerk will tell you how.
  • Make a rough list of what they owned and owedBank statements, the mail, and their email will show most of it.

Opening the estate

Weeks 2 to 8

The court gives you the authority to act. Until it does, you can keep things safe but not hand anything out.

  • Ask the court to make you the executorThis is called filing for probate. Many counties let you file without a lawyer when the estate is simple.
  • Check whether the estate qualifies as a small estateSmaller estates can often skip most of the court process. The limit depends on the state.
  • Get a tax number for the estateIt is called an EIN, from the IRS. Free, online, ten minutes. You need it to open the estate account.
  • Open an estate bank accountEvery dollar in and out of the estate flows through here. Never mix with your own money.
  • Put a notice in the paper for anyone owed moneyIt starts the clock on claims against the estate. The court clerk will tell you where to publish.
  • Write to everyone named in the will, and the close familyMost states require it in writing, even to people who inherit nothing.

Gathering and settling

Months 2 to 9

Find out what there is, claim what is owed to them, and pay what they owed.

  • Give the court a list of everything they ownedWhat each thing was worth on the day they died. Your rough list from the second week is the start.
  • Claim life insurance and retirement accountsThese go straight to the people named on the policy or account, outside the will. Each needs a death certificate and a claim form.
  • Deal with the house and any landKeep the insurance active and the mortgage current, then decide whether to sell or transfer it.
  • Close digital accounts and subscriptionsStop the recurring charges. Social accounts can be kept as a memorial or deleted, as they would have wanted.
  • Pay what is truly owed, and refuse the restPay only from the estate account, and only once the waiting period for claims is over. The court settles any you dispute.
  • File the final personal income tax returnDue April 15 of the year after death. Mark the return "deceased" with the date.
  • Check whether a federal estate tax return is requiredOnly estates above the federal exemption file Form 706, due 9 months after death. Some states have lower thresholds.

Closing the estate

Months 9 to 18

Account for everything, hand out what is left, and ask the court to release you.

  • Write up the final accountsEvery payment in and out since the day they died. The people who inherit sign it, or the court reviews it.
  • Hand out the gifts and shares the will namesGet a signed receipt for each. Named gifts go first, then what is left is shared out.
  • File the estate’s own tax return, if neededForm 1041. Needed only if the estate earned more than $600 while it was open.
  • Ask the court to close the estate and release you from the jobThis ends your personal responsibility for the estate. Keep the records for seven years.

If they used Ezecutor

Check their email for an invitation from us, or ask whoever was closest to them. Their vault, their contacts, and this plan with real dates are waiting for the person they named.

Your own plan, when you are ready

Six questions, then a starting plan, so the person after you has less of this to work out.

This is general guidance, not legal advice. Court and county practice vary. A probate attorney, a lawyer for the court process in the state where they lived, can tell you what applies.